When to plant in Rifle, CO
Planting dates worked out from Rifle's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 31
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 4
1 year in 10 by Sep 19
Frost-free days
142
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Rifle Garfield Co Ap · 5.5 km away · station 1684 m, town 1630 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 25 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 30 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 26 |
| Peas | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 27 |
| Bush beans | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 13 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 23 – Jun 4 | Jun 22 |
| Beet | — | Apr 16 – May 28 | Jun 5 |
| Potato | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jul 2 |
| Kale | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 29 |
| Broccoli | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – May 7 | Jun 15 |
| Cucumber | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 20 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 15 |
| Winter squash | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Aug 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 23 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 16 – May 7 | Jul 15 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 20 – Oct 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 10 |
| Basil | Apr 19 – May 3 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 27 |
Rifle's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1998 | May 16 |
| 1999 | May 18 |
| 2000 | May 14 |
| 2001 | Jun 5 |
| 2002 | May 24 |
| 2003 | May 12 |
| 2004 | May 31 |
| 2005 | May 12 |
| 2006 | May 30 |
| 2007 | Jun 8 |
| 2008 | May 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | May 25 |
| 2011 | May 5 |
| 2012 | May 8 |
| 2013 | May 4 |
| 2014 | May 14 |
| 2015 | Apr 19 |
| 2016 | Apr 19 |
| 2017 | May 20 |
| 2018 | Apr 27 |
| 2019 | May 19 |
| 2020 | May 8 |
| 2021 | Apr 29 |
| 2022 | May 25 |
| 2023 | Apr 29 |
| 2024 | May 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 141 |
| 1999 | 131 |
| 2000 | 133 |
| 2001 | 95 |
| 2002 | 140 |
| 2003 | 124 |
| 2004 | 135 |
| 2005 | 146 |
| 2006 | 109 |
| 2007 | 120 |
| 2008 | 148 |
| 2009 | 153 |
| 2010 | 147 |
| 2011 | 154 |
| 2012 | 151 |
| 2013 | 146 |
| 2014 | 152 |
| 2015 | 187 |
| 2016 | 168 |
| 2017 | 135 |
| 2018 | 168 |
| 2019 | 136 |
| 2020 | 142 |
| 2021 | 164 |
| 2022 | 141 |
| 2023 | 167 |
| 2024 | 153 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.6 °C |
| 1999 | 15.8 °C |
| 2000 | 17.8 °C |
| 2001 | 18.0 °C |
| 2002 | 18.1 °C |
| 2003 | 17.3 °C |
| 2004 | 16.8 °C |
| 2005 | 16.7 °C |
| 2006 | 17.5 °C |
| 2007 | 18.2 °C |
| 2008 | 16.8 °C |
| 2009 | 17.1 °C |
| 2010 | 17.2 °C |
| 2011 | 16.6 °C |
| 2012 | 18.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.0 °C |
| 2015 | 17.5 °C |
| 2016 | 17.6 °C |
| 2017 | 18.2 °C |
| 2018 | 19.2 °C |
| 2019 | 17.5 °C |
| 2020 | 18.6 °C |
| 2021 | 18.9 °C |
| 2022 | 18.4 °C |
| 2023 | 17.6 °C |
| 2024 | 18.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Rifle Garfield Co Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.